Art of manufacturing ladles



Nov. 1, 1938 M. w. GOLDBERG ET AL ART OF MANUFACTURING LADLES Filed Oct. 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7? INVENTOR.

BY =4 WM, 222.4%

ATTORNEY N v. 1, 1938. M. weowsE-Rg ET AL 2,134 785 ART OF MANUFACTURING LADLES Filed Oct. 2', 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES ART OF MANUFACTURING LADLES Max W..Goldberg and Wallace W. Drissen, Port Washington, Wis., assignorsto Modern Equipment' Company, Port Washington, Wis., a cornotation of Wisconsin Application October 2, 1935, Serial No. 43,146

8' Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the art of manufacturing ladles'.

Heretoiore, in foundry practice, it hasv been customary to utilize relatively small sized. ladles which hold only a limited quantity of molten metal. Necessarily, therefore, these ladies must befrequently refilled and a large number kept in constant use in order to handle mold requirements. Thus, a relatively large number of attendants are needed to take care of the plurality of small ladles, which results in high-overhead; It has been impractical heretofore to utilize ladles of larger size as the large quantity of molten metal wouldradiate an excessive amount of heat, making it impossible for attendants to remain near enough to take care of the pouring operations. Furthermore, in'viewof the large capacity, the ladles could not be emptied rapidly enoughto prevent solidification therein.

The present invention comprehends means whereby theme of large ladles is rendered entirely practicaland this result is brought about through the use of insulation and through the use cf a protecting insulated cover. In my application Serial Number 746,042 is disclosed a ladl'e having one form of cover operating mechanism, the present application relating to a ladle of still larger 'size having a cover of such size and weight as to require operating'mechanism of substantiallydifferent design. 7

It is, therefore, one of the objects of the present invention to provide a ladle which can be furnished in large sizes so that a single filling of the ladle will take care of the pouring of a large number of molds which number would ordinarily require the use of several times as many small ladies and the use of a corresponding number of attendants.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved ladle having a cover adapted to protect the attendants from radiating heat and adapted to maintain the" metal in molten condition until it hasall been poured.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a device as above described; means for facilitating movement of the cover to open position, this requiring a special type of construction due to the excessive size and weight of the cover.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide novel means for simultaneously elevating the cover and swinging, it laterally to a position to expose the ladle top for filling purposes.

In the construction of ladles it is common practice to line the metallic bowl portionv with fire clay and this lining process is usually carried out by the user. For a ladle of large size, however such as is contemplated by the present invention, the difference in the coefficient of expansion between the metal of the ladle and the fire clay lining is such as to cause danger of ruptureof' the lining. Furthermore, the fire clay is inserted in the ladle while in a wet and plastic condition-.and when it hardens there is consider able moisture left within the pores thereof. If the ladlewere filled withhot metal while in this condition, the heat would bake the exposed surface of, the fireclay lining and thereby trap the moisture between'the metal. wall of the ladle and said-exposed'surface of the lining. Furthermore, the heat of the molten metalwould change the moisture into steam and cause undesirable sweating. With the small ladles now used this condition is not sufficiently serious to cause trouble and it can usually be eliminated by applying heat to a the exterior" heat conducting wall of the ladle before. it is filled with molten material. to thereby drive the moisture through the exposed, surface ofthelining before said surface has been baked to non-porous condition.- With an; insulated ladle,,however, exterior-heat is ineffective to drive out moisture as the insulated walls of; the ladle do not permit passage of the heat to: the fire clay, lining; In View of the fact that the present invention contemplates insulated? ladles of large capacity, it is important to provide. a: construction and? method. of manufacture which will obviate the danger of rupture of the lining. and the danger of moisture remaining in thefire clay and changing into steam, as this condition would be so aggravated in a large container as to result in the creation of steam pressure of sufficient force to cause distortion o-f the ladle bottom and disruption of the lining.

It' is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to provide an improved ladle constructed in a novelmanner to provide for the use ofinsulation sothat the heat of the molten metal will be retained within the ladle to keep the metal-in said-moltencondition and to protect the attendants fromradiating heat, the ladle being further so constructed as to obviate the aforementioned danger of the lining buckling and of moisture remaining in the fire clay.

A- more specific object of the present invention is to accomplish the above object by lining the ladle, and inextremely large sized outfits, also the cover, with insulating fire brick, said brick being soarranged in the ladle and cover as to provide for expansion differences between the metal and thebrick, and the bottom of the ladle being apertured to provide for freeing of moisture which is inherent in the'mortar holding the fire bricks together, which moisture cannot be freed in any ordinary manner due to the permanently insulated structure of the ladle bowl.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved ladle having double walls formed in a novel manner toprovide for the effective use of insulation therebetween.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the improved art of manufacturing ladles and all its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved ladle and cover;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof, the dot and dash lines indicating the cover in a position to expose the interior of the ladle;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a modified form of cover adapted for ladles of still larger size;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the ladle bowl proper has an inner cylindrical wall 8 formed of rolled steel or other suitable material. A bottom 9 of similar material has its periphery welded to the lower edge of the cylindrical wall 8 as at I0 and said bottom is provided with a plurality of apertures I. After the inner wall is formed an outer cylindrical wall I2 is placed therearound. The upper portion of said wall is formed of a separate inwardly inclined strip I3 welded as at I4 to the upper edge of the wall I2 and also welded as at I5 to the exterior of the inner wall 8, the line of welding being spaced somewhat below the upper edge of said wall 8. Small tubes I6 have their upper ends welded in registration with the apertures I of the bottom 9. Insulation I is then packed between the walls 8 and I2 and a layer is also placed adjacent the exterior of the bottom wall 9. An outer bottom wall I8 is then inserted in position and welded to the lower periphery of the wall I2 as at I9 and also welded to the lower ends of the tubes I6, said wall being formed with apertures 20 which register with the lower ends of said tubes.

A cover 2| having a peripheral flange 22 has oppositely disposed recesses 23 which register with pouring spouts 24 on the bowl. Said cover has welded or otherwise secured to its upper surface a pair of spaced tubes 25 through which rods 26 and 21 loosely extend. An arm 28 is secured to each end of the rod 26 and the lower end of each arm is pivotally mounted on a stud 29 carried by the side of the ladle. A substantially U- shaped arm 30 has its ends connected to the ends of the rod 21 as at 3| and the central portion of said arm 3|] is rigidly secured to a pivot member 32 which pivot member is pivotally mounted and connected as at 33 to the rear of the ladle. A hand lever 34 is insertible in a socket 35 which socket is also rigidly secured to the pivot member 32.

From the above it may be seen that by movement of the handle 34 from the full line position of Fig. l to the dotted line position, that the cover will be swung upwardly and rearwardly to expose the top of the ladle for filling purposes. It will further be seen that when the cover is down, metal may be poured from either one of the spouts 24.

The ladle I2 has supporting trunnions I2 projecting from opposite side portions thereof. These trunnions are commonly employed for cooperation with a supporting bail so that the ladle may be supported by such a bail for tilting movement. It is to be noted that the pivot points 29 for the cover arms 28 are located above the trunnions I 2'. It is also to be noted that the bearing portions of the trunnions I2 are outwardly of the pivotal connections 29. Thus the ladle may be supported by a bail, and the bail will in no way interfere with operation of the cover arms or with opening and closing of the cover.

The inside of the cover for ladles which are not too large in size may be lined with fire clay 36 or other suitable material which fire clay is held in position by any suitable retaining means such as wire mesh 31, said mesh being secured to the peripheral flange 22 of the cover and to transverse reinforcing members 38.

Instead of lining the ladle with fire clay in the ordinary manner, fire brick is utilized. Accordingly, a thin layer of sand or the like 39 is placed on the inside of the bottom wall 9 and a circular fire brick slab 40 is laid thereon. Curved fire brick 4| are used for the side walls and said fire brick are secured together by means of fire clay mortar and may be secured to the base slab 40 by similar material. Spacing strips of wood may be used preliminarily between the side walls of the brick lining and the metal wall 8 and after the fire brick is permanently in place these wooden spacing strips may be burned out or otherwise removed and the space filled with sand 42 or other suitable material to provide an expansion space between the fire brick and the inner wall 8 of the ladle. An upper seal 43 of fire clay may be used to hold the sand in place in the expansion space.

Inasmuch as moisture is present in the mortar used to hold the fire bricks in place, it is important that means be provided for carrying off this moisture to prevent it from being turned into steam and cause undesirable sweating. Accordingly, the ducts IS in the bottom of the ladle provide a drain which will satisfactorily carry away all moisture driven out of the mortar or out of the sand. Thus, there is absolutely no chance of steam being trapped between the fire clay lining and the inner metal wall of the ladle to cause distortion of the ladle bottom or disruption of the lining and in a ladle of the size contemplated considerable pressure would be developed if this steam were so trapped and the results might be serious.

Where ladles of still larger size are contemplated it is found that a cover having a solid metal top such as the top 2| shown in Fig. 3 is unsatisfactory as it adds considerable weight. Furthermore, with a cover such as shown in Fig. 3 wherein the lining 36 is anchored to the top and side flanges of the cover, the difference in coefficient of expansion between the metal of the cover and the lining is so great as to result in cracking of the lining where this arrangement is used in covers of extremely large size.

Accordingly, in Fig. 4 there is illustrated a cover comprising a metallic rim 44 having one or more recesses 45, there being no metallic top. Angle bars or other reinforcing means 46 are laid transversely of the rim and have their ends welded to the rim to form a reinforced skeleton structure. The bearing tubes 25 for the cover lifter may be welded as at 41 to the angle bars.

In this skeleton cover are laid fire brick 48, said brick being apertured as at 49 and being laid with the apertures in registration. This permits the insertion of rods 50 through all of the apertures. The rods may also extend through eyebolts 5| depending from one or more of the angle bars and cotter pins or the like 52 may be used on the outside of the rim 44 to hold the rods in position. No mortar is employed between the bricks as they are held in place by the rods which extend looselytherethrough. A thin wash of fire clay may, however, be spread on the top surface of the bricks as at 53.

With this arrangement the metal rim 44 and.

angle irons are expanded uniformly as well as the metal rods 50. Due to the rods passing freely through apertures in the bricks this expansion can take place without any danger of cracking or disrupting the brick lining. The result is a relatively light weight cover for a very large size ladle which is suitably insulated and in which there is no danger of the lining being disrupted through expansion differences between it and the metal portions of the cover.

Various changes and modifications may occur to those skilled in the art and all such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What we claim is:

1. In combination, a ladle, supporting trunnions projecting from opposite side portions of the ladle, a cover for said ladle, a tubular member secured transversely of said cover, a shaft journaled in said tubular member, arms having lower end portions pivotally connected to said ladle above said supporting trunnions and having upper end portions connected to opposite ends of said shaft on the cover, said arms being obliquely disposed when the cover is in closing position, and being movable to provide for bodily reciprocal movement of all portions of the cover a substantially equal distance, the bearing portions of said supporting trunnions being outwardly of the pivotal connections for the cover arms.

2. In combination, a ladle, supporting trunnions projecting from opposite side portions of the ladle, a cover for said ladle, a pair of tubular members secured transversely of said cover in spaced parallel position, a shaft journaled in each tubular member, arms having lower end portions pivotally connected to said ladle above said supporting trunnions, and having upper end portions connected to opposite ends of said shaft on the cover, said arms being obliquely disposed when the cover is in closing position, and being movable to provide for bodily reciprocal movement of all portions of the cover a substantially equal distance, the bearing portions of said supporting trunnions being outwardly of the pivotal connections for the cover arms.

3. In combination, a ladle, a cover for said ladle, a substantially U-shaped arm having its central portion pivotally connected to the ladle and having its ends pivotally connected to opposite sides of the cover, a pair of arms having lower end portions pivotally connected to opposite sides of the ladle and having upper end portions pivotally connected to opposite side portions of the cover spaced from the points of connection of the U-shaped arm with the cover, all of said arms being obliquely disposed when the cover is in closing position, and manually operable means for swinging said arms to simultaneously raise the cover and move it laterally to expose the top of the ladle.

4. In combination, a ladle, a cover for said ladle, a lug projecting from an intermediate side portion of said ladle, a pivot member pivotally connected to said lug, a substantially U-shaped arm having its central portion rigidly secured to said pivot member and having its ends pivotally connected to opposite sides of the cover, a pair of arms having lower end portions pivotally connected to opposite sides of the ladle and having upper end portions connected to'opposite side portions of the cover spaced from the points of connection of the U-shaped arm with the cover, all of said arms being obliquely disposed when the cover is in closing position, and a hand lever connected to said pivot member for swinging said arms to simultaneously raise the cover and move it laterally to expose the top of the ladle.

5. In combination, a ladle, supporting trunnions projecting from opposite side portions of the ladle, a cover for said ladle, and arms pivotally connected at their lower ends to the ladle above said supporting trunnions and at their upper ends to the cover, said arms being so disposed when the cover is closed as to provide for bodily reciprocal movement of all portions of the cover a substantially equal distance from a closing position to a position to expose a portion of the top of the ladle, the bearing portions of said supporting trunnions being outwardly of the pivotal connections for the cover arms.

6. In combination, a ladle, supporting trunnions projecting from opposite side portions of the ladle, a cover for said ladle above said supporting trunnions, arms pivotally connected at their lower ends to the ladle and at their upper ends to the cover, said arms being so disposed when the cover is closed as to provide for bodily reciprocal movement of all portions of the cover a substantially equal distance from a closing position to a position to expose a portion of the top of the ladle, and manually operable means connected to one of said arms for controlling said movement of the cover, the bearing portions of said supporting trunnions being outwardly of the pivotal connections for the cover arms.

'7. In combination, a ladle, supporting trunnions projecting from opposite side portions of the ladle, a cover for said ladle, and arms pivotally connected at their lower ends to the ladle and at their upper ends to the cover, said arms be ing so disposed when the cover is closed as to provide for bodily reciprocal movement of all portions of the cover a substantially equal distance from a closing position to a position to expose a portion of the top of the ladle, the bearing portions of said supporting trunnions being outwardly of the pivotal connections for the cover arms.

8. In combination, a ladle, supporting trunnions projecting from opposite side portions of the ladle, a cover for said ladle, and arms pivotally connected at their lower ends to the ladle at spaced points above said supporting trunnions and at their upper ends to the cover at spaced points, said arms being so disposed when the cover is closed as to provide for bodily reciprocal movement of all portions of the cover a substantially equal distance from a closing position to a position to expose a portion of the top of the ladle, the bearing portions of said supporting trunnions being outwardly of the pivotal connections for the cover arms.

MAX W. GOLDBERG. WALLACE W. DRISSEN. 

